The present invention relates to a address storage device for a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, with several apparatuses using at least parts of address data, the address storage device comprising a storage means for storing address data and a storage means interface.
More and more, today""s motor vehicles are equipped with apparatuses like telephone or navigation system. In closer future apparatuses for internet use or for transmission of e-mails will find entrance into the motor vehicle. All these apparatuses require at least parts of address data for operation; the telephone for example the telephone number of an address data; the navigation system street and city of address data, or the internet use the homepage address of an address data. In prior art systems, the telephone numbers have been input with the respective names into a telephone specific storage, whereas the address data for the navigation system have been stored in a storage of the navigation system.
The separate management of address data results at one hand to a complicated input procedure, since possibly particular address data have to be input several times for different apparatuses of the vehicle. On the other hand , the maintenance of these address data and the use within the vehicle is costly.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an address data storage device overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages.
The object of the present invention will be solved by the aforementioned address data storage device such that each apparatus is assigned to an application interface, each application interface communicates with said storage means interface andxe2x80x94if requiredxe2x80x94reads out at least parts of address data stored in said storage means so that said address data stored centrally in said storage means are available to said apparatuses commonly.
That means with other words that the address data are stored within the vehicle centrally in a storage means and the apparatuses read the necessary parts of the address data out of the central address data storage. That results in the advantage that redundant data have not to be stored for different apparatuses of the vehicle. Moreover, the input, the use and maintenance of the address data is clearly simplified compared with known approaches which required a separate input of data for each apparatus. The application-interfaces assigned to the apparatuses are adapted such that they transfer only those data of the plurality of data of an address data record which are requested by the apparatus. Accordingly the application interface of the telephone will request only the telephone number assigned to the selected name. The application interface of the navigation system will, however, request street and city of the respective address data record. The selection of single data from the address data record will be carried out by the storage means interface. It is apparent that this functionality could also be transferred to the application interface which will then take the necessary data out of the received complete data record.
In a further embodiment of the invention said storage means interface is connected with an input-/output-unit, the input/output unit allowing the display of address data and the selection of address data.
This measure has the advantage that the input and output of address data can also be carried out centrally. Hence, the input/output means of the respective apparatuses will no longer be used as it is the case in prior approaches resulting in an increased simplification of operation and maintenance of address data. Also, the selection of data is easier since the data will be displayed to the user always in the same format and on the same display independent of the operated apparatus.
Therefore, it is not necessary that the user permanently adapts to different display formats or places of the display.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the storage means interface comprises an address management unit for arranging different subsets of address data and for displaying said subsets. Preferably, a subset contains address data recently used and/or a subset containing address data used most frequently; the update will be carried out automatically.
This measure has the advantage that a simplification of the operation is achieved. This is particularly of great use since the attention of the user and driver is not distracted; the page turning within a larger address data stock to find a particular address would not be possible while the vehicle is in motion. Of course other schemes for arranging subsets are possible, for example all address data within a predetermined distance radius from the present location. Also the renunciation of any criterion for search limitation is possible.
As already mentioned, the apparatus can be provided as a navigation system or telephone system of a vehicle. Also possible is an e-mail system or a system for using the internet. It is apparent that this is not a complete enumeration. Other apparatuses of a vehicle requesting for address data are of course also possible.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the input/output unit is connected with an infrared interface as to allow the optical transfer of address data to and from an external address data base. Preferably, the external address data base is stored in a so called PDA (personal digital assistant), a cellular phone or a laptop.
This measure has the advantage that the address data which already exist electronically, can be transferred easily to the address data storage device so that a manual input of these data is not necessary. Of course it is also possible to provide the input/output unit with a radio interface, for example according to the bluetooth standard, as to carry out the transfer via radio transmission. Moreover, it is of course also possible to fetch the address data via the internet from an internet server.
Preferably, the input/output unit is connected with an input means, preferably a rotary switch means as to allow the input of address data manually as well. In this case the characters and other signs necessary for input of address data will be displayed on a display means and will be selected by the rotary switch means. It is of course also possible to provide a touch screen or a keyboard like input means provided that this is possible for reason of space.
The storage means used for storing address data is preferably provided as a hard disc or an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Other storage media are of course also possible. The storage means could for example be a PCMCIA memory card which could be used both in different vehicles and at a stationary location.
Further advantages and embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the description and the attached drawing.
It is understood that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the respect combinations indicated but also in other combinations or in isolation, without leaving the context of the present invention.